Paradox Fighters, Part 3
by benji.dordoni
Summary: Holly Short receives an unusual request from the creature in the dark room, and the Master of Games reveals the next challenge- a bloody game of keep away over a seemingly insignificant ring. Katniss must face up to her inner demons, and the dark shadows of her past. And who is this mysterious newcomer that has befriended Holly? T for violence, language, and disturbing scenes.
1. An Unusual Request

_PREVIOUSLY, IN PARADOX FIGHTERS: The Master of Games brings the tournament back into full swing, using supercomputers to judge the contestants' performance. The Dovahkiin, a Nordic warrior gifted with powerful and ancient magic, reveals his interest in Holly Short. The Master's challenge is a team-oriented melee in an urban environment. Holly, Katniss, pilot Amuro, martial artist Chuck, and samurai Date Masamune unite to form Team Mockingjay. The team plows through the challenge, even defeating the Master's hand-picked legion of evil. Holly vows to learn more of Katniss' tragic past, and the Master of Games and Cthulhu have a heart-to-heart. Except they don't really have hearts._

Holly squinted at the map that had been drawn on the wall. The map was not the problem, as it was very clearly written. Holly had been up for hours, and there was not much time until the Master would summon them to another challenge. Her eyes were simply too tired to open.

"And that," continued Katniss, who began to mark off another section of the wall with the little chunk of coal, "is District Eleven."

"Where Rue came from, right?" yawned Holly, who glanced at the tiny digital clock on the wall. Instead of displaying a time, it counted down how long the respite would continue. It currently read one hour and fifteen minutes.

"Exactly!" said Katniss, who felt energized by Holly's comprehension. She too noticed the clock.

"Listen, Holly. I'm really grateful that you've given me some of your time. You didn't have to do this."

"Don't sweat it, kid," the elf mumbled.

"But you ought to get back to your room. Get some sleep. We'll probably need it."

Holly muttered something incomprehensible and staggered out the door. Katniss turned off the light and curled up, feeling a little more secure now that someone understood her. Holly was not firing on all cognitive cylinders, but she was conscious enough to notice that unmarked door at the end of the hallway. She knew it wouldn't have showed up unless whatever was inside wanted to talk to her. She shuffled over to the door, checked over her shoulder, and ducked inside.

"Listen. I need some sleep- could you get this over with quickly?"

The perverse darkness shifted and whipped around her like a tornado.

**"DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE I CARE ABOUT YOUR PHYSICAL STATE?"**

"I believe you care what I think, and I'm not nearly as good at that when my batteries are dead."

**"CLEVER LITTLE ELF. VERY WELL, I SHALL NOT PROLONG THIS DISCUSSION."**

There was an awful moaning and shuddering, and Holly felt something press against her face. She grasped at it in the darkness- it was a book.

"What's this? Recommended reading?"

**"NO. THE TOME IS EMPTY. I EXPECT YOU TO FILL IT."**

The vocal abomination paused for a moment, then continued its assault.

**"WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT, THE FRIENDSHIP YOU AND THE GIRL HAVE MAY BE THE ONLY THING THAT CAN WIN THIS GRAND COMBAT."**

"Go on," Holly said, but didn't mean it.

**"THE GIRL IS A CATALYST. HER STORY, A SPARK. RECORD IT. PROPAGATE IT. IN DOING SO, THE FLAMES OF DOUBT WILL BE FANNED, AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRAND COMBAT WILL BE QUESTIONED."**

"And I assume you're doing this because you hate the Master of Games, right?"

**"THAT IS THE MOTIVE OF MY ACTION. GO NOW, AND SEE THAT HE REGRETS BRINGING YOU HERE."**

The voice faded away, and Holly opened her eyes to find herself in her room once more. She wasn't sure whether to be completely unnerved by this or thankful for the convenience. She lifted the book off of her chest and turned the pages. _All blank. That thing wasn't kidding._ She slid the empty book under her bed and slept for all of forty minutes until the summons began.


	2. One Ring To Rule Them All

"Miss Short. The Master of Games requests that all contestants report to the practice room in five minutes. Please use this time to prepare."

Holly was not aware that there was a training room, but given the ever-changing nature of the place, she decided not to concern herself with that for the moment. She rose and walked to her room's courtyard. Taking an acorn and burying it beneath the tree, she contemplated the something's request. _I thought I was just being a good friend, to listen to Katniss' story. To think that it could tear this whole thing apart!_ Magic flowed from the ground into her fingertips, buzzing through her veins and repairing what rest did not have a chance to. Holly got up, dusted off her knees, changed into a crisp, clean uniform, and left the room.

The hallway was filled with other confused warriors, who all remembered the common hall but did not recall a training room. Holly figured that the common hall would have become the training room, and she was right. She turned at the end of the hallway to find the already-large common hall replaced by a truly cavernous expanse. There was a table with some smaller breakfast items, but the room was dominated by the target dummies, firing ranges, and weapon racks that were scattered at far intervals from one another. A singular throne sat in the corner of the room. The Master of Games lounged upon it, kicking his feet up on the arms while he stroked his chin in thought.

_Awful! Awful! Awful!_ He seethed inside himself. _Sure, I got more of them to fight by using teams. But now there's a handful that know what my plan is! And that idiot elf and the girl are making the best of friends! This is a shame- no, a travesty! I can't let my brother be right. No, no, no! I've got to find some way to tear them apart! All of them! But I can't rip them away too quickly. They'd get upset, have a reason to disobey._ The warriors below him began to bustle about to their various training exercises. He noticed the wizard Gandalf speaking with his little band of adventurers and fighters. _I regret bringing too many of these warriors here. Oh, but I do need them! How can I play off of this? What ever will I do?_ The Master shifted back in his throne, wracking his mind for a solution.

Meanwhile, Holly had found her way to the firing range. It consisted of several long, narrow lanes composed out of what she assumed was bulletproof glass, so that the warriors could view their competition easily. To the far end of all of the lanes was an extensive shelf that held every kind of firearm conceivable. The elf gazed at the collection of pistols, muskets, high-tech rifles, and weapons with such a bizarre shape that she couldn't tell which end did the killing. Among the menagerie was a comparatively tiny Neutrino 3000. Holly lifted the gun off of the display and turned to find Katniss waiting in line.

"Well, it sure looks like you got the sleep you needed," said the girl empathetically.

"Not quite enough. But it'll do," Holly chirped brightly. She still hadn't told Katniss about the voice in the room or the request to ghost-write Katniss' life story. Holly decided that now would not be the time to drop these bombs.

"That's good," Katniss replied as she reached over the short elf and grabbed her bow from the rack. "Why do you figure that we're training now, after we fought?"

As the Dovahkiin approached, Holly tried to turn her head and look occupied.

"Gandalf says that the Master of Games doesn't know what to do with us," he answered.

"I don't know what to do with _you_," snapped Holly.

"And did you have _anything_ in mind? I would be interested in knowing," the Dragonborn jested.

"Oh, I did. I'm currently deciding whether to shoot you once or twice."

"Well. You _are_ a feisty little mer. Can you see why I like her?" he inquired of Katniss.

"Oh, sure." responded Katniss nonchalantly.

The Nordic warrior ambled away, leaving Holly and Katniss to get around to their practice. Holly squeezed a few rounds downrange, each landing within the lethality circles on the targets. Two of the shots hit center mass, just to the right of the center. The third had fallen just below the bull's eye on the head section of the target. _Not bad,_ the elf thought. _I've done better._ She turned and noticed Katniss' target was devoid of arrows altogether. The girl was standing stone-still, her bow at her side. Her gaze was fixated on the target, and she was gulping for air.

Holly set down her blaster on the shelf and moved into Katniss' lane.

"Are you… having a moment?"

The girl nodded.

"Let's go sit down, okay?"

Katniss let her bow clatter to the floor as she took Holly's hand. By the time Holly found a vacant table, she had degraded to the point of senseless sobbing. Holly slid her into a seat and took one opposite of her.

"Hey. It's going to be alright."

"I'm sorry… It was just… just like…"

"No. No. Don't think about that," Holly said soothingly, taking the girl's hand once more. "Those times are over."

"But…but…"

"Ssh, ssh. Listen," the elf said, lifting Katniss' head so that their eyes met. "When this is all over-and it will be, I promise- you're going to wake up in your bed. You're going to go and live your life, raise your kids, write that book. That's what you'll do. Don't worry about what you did, what happened. There's good people here. We're going to find a way to stop this."

Katniss sniffled loudly and mumbled "Okay." Holly got up, and with Katniss in tow, began to wander about, taking in the vast variety of warriors that had been assembled. Holly made a point to show Katniss the more ridiculous ones, to cheer her up. There was a truly silly man who was training at the martial arts dummies. His outfit had apparently been designed by a kindergartener, as it proudly displayed all three of the primary colors. After he finished attacking a dummy, he turned to the small crowd that was watching the incredible display.

"The secret to drawing upon your true strength is YOUR NAAAMME!" he shouted suddenly, taking those watching off-guard. He scratched his bright red helmet, as if bewildered by the crowd's response.

"Watch THIS," he called, continuing to emphasize select words. He wound up with his right arm, preparing to strike a dummy.

"**_FAALCOHN_**," he yelled, letting his fist fly forward, "**_PAAAWNCH_**!"

As his arm hurtled through the air, it became enveloped by flame. Then, perhaps more fantastically, the flame morphed itself into the shape of a great hawk, which dove toward the dummy and exploded with terrible force. The spectators contemplated this for a moment and broke into applause. Holly was surprised to see Katniss grinning.

"That's all it takes? Calling out your name?" the girl asked the spandex-clad man.

"YES!" he cried, gesturing for Katniss to come forward. "Now SHOW ME YO MOVES!"

Katniss shot a glance toward Holly, who waved her on. She stepped up next to the dummy.

"So I just have to call out my name?"

"AW YEAH!"

The strange man was no help. She did not plan on screaming "KATNISS PUNCH" at the top of her lungs, even if some sort of flaming Mockingjay would project itself from her arm and annihilate the dummy. This was a stupid idea, and now she had to dig her way out of it.

_"Katniss Punch" is awful. "Everdeen Punch" is also awful. "Mockingjay Punch" is not only too long winded, but completely misses the point. But I have to get this over with._

She pulled her arm back, planting herself firmly on the ground.

_I'm going to regret this,_ she thought, and began calling out her attack.

"MOCKINGJAAAY PUUUNCH!" she cried, slamming her fist into the target dummy and instantly feeling like an idiot. No flaming bird motif erupted from her arm, which Katniss was honestly relieved to see. The crowd gave a good chuckle and began to flow away from the strange man.

"DO YOU FEEL the SPIRIT?" the man shouted again, but Katniss and Holly had already walked away. Holly gave the girl a pat on the back.

"You did pretty good," she said supportively.

"That was absolutely the most embarrassed I've ever been."

"Better to be embarrassed than be getting killed," Holly said before realizing that the comment went too far.

"Oooh… sorry," she apologized.

"No, no. It's okay. You're right."

Holly sighed in relief.

"Just don't say that ever again."

"I'll try not to," muttered the elf.

The pair wandered past Date Masamune and the Spartan king Leonidas, who were sparring with wooden training weapons. They passed a table where the members of the Master of Games' evil team sat arguing with one another over their loss. Holly noticed several large, oblong devices that she guessed were simulators to be used by the mech-piloting contestants. The training area really did seem to go on forever. Eventually, the two arrived back at the front of the room, where Holly picked up two granola bars from the breakfast table. She unwrapped one and began to chow down, while she handed the other to Katniss. The girl gave the bar an unpleasant look.

"You're supposed to eat it," instructed the elf.

"I know. I just can't bring myself to eat anything." Katniss tried to hand it back, only for Holly to push it to her once more.

"You need to eat. I don't care what it reminds you of."

Katniss took another look at the granola bar and decided that Holly had a point. She peeled off the wrapper and forced it down.

"There you go! You'll feel a lot better with food in your stomach."

"I guess you're right. I don't think I'm ready for anything more than that, though."

Holly gave her an assuring pat on the shoulder, and was going to suggest that it was wise for Katniss to take her time when the Master of Games began to make an address.

"My fine warriors! I trust you all have taken advantage of this opportunity to hone your skills! Now, I plan on bringing one-on-one fights back into the focus of this Grand Combat, but I've got one more team exercise for you!"

He held out his hand, and a giant holographic projection lit up the center of the room. The projection showed the Master's hand, and, cupped in the palm, a ring. The gray-robed mage began to shout indignantly.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, yes," said the Master of Games, turning towards the old man, "I would. As Mr. Gandalf here is _so_ aware, this is no ordinary ring. Your challenge will be to find the One Ring and hold onto it for as long as possible as a team. If any individuals were to leave their team with the ring, they will begin to accumulate points on their own, but are also fair game to anyone who would like the ring as well."

The warriors began to murmur amongst themselves about the challenge. It didn't seem particularly difficult, but it was also very vague.

"I would like to add," continued the Master, "That you will be assembling your teams inside the arena."

The murmurs became a little more distressed.

"AHEM!" The room fell silent.

"Thank you. You have forty five minutes to head to your rooms and prepare."


	3. A Secret Weapon?

Megatron drummed his fingers against the throne. He was glad that his room had a throne; however, he was displeased that it was the only feature of the room. _There could at least be a stasis-lock chamber. Then I wouldn't have to deal with all of this waiting, yes._ The Predacon searched the room for the speaker that would announce that the challenge would begin, but he couldn't find one. _The Master of Games must use some other form of voice projection._

"Megatron, you may now exit through your door. It will lead you to your prep room and your team." Megatron chuckled. _So he's got my team arranged already? I guess he figures that cheating is necessary to get ahead. I won't argue with his logic, no. _He stood and walked through the door to find the team from the last challenge- The demonic warrior Nightmare and his cursed sword Soul Edge; a Yautja, an alien hunter more commonly known as the Predator, and the Xenomorph- apparently something the Predator hunted once. The AI piloted robot, Nineball, was absent. They stood at their equipment racks, fitting armor to themselves and loading weapons. The Master of Games' voice echoed in the chamber.

"As you can see, I'm giving you a head start on team-building. Large mecha like Nineball have been excluded from this challenge, but I've provided you a replacement for him- you'll have to find him in the arena. He'll be a bit of a secret weapon. Now do me a favor, and _don't let me down again._" There was an awkward silence among the warriors. Megatron would not let it last. "You heard him. We're not letting him down again." The doors of the prep room opened, and they stepped into a thick forest. Megatron saw through the trees that there was a clearing ahead. In the center of the clearing, a man sat by a fire. He seemed to be cooking something on a spit.

Megatron turned to his team, and gave a nod to the Predator and the Xenomorph. The alien warrior cloaked himself, and the Xenomorph bounded ahead on all fours. The two approached the man, who seemed to be completely unaware. The Predator knelt just a few feet in front of the man, and the Xenomorph had crawled behind him. The Predator made a quiet clicking noise, and the Xenomorph began to rise, unleashing a terrible scream. The man didn't even turn to face the monster. Instead, he removed what he was cooking on the spit and held it out behind him.

"Well, are you hungry or not?"

The Xenomorph sniffed at the charred substance, and snatched it away greedily. It sat like an oversized dog, chewing hungrily at the food. The Predator stood and uncloaked in amazement. The man showed no sign of surprise. "Don't tell me you want some too. I'm plumb out."

The Predator scratched its head and waved Megatron and Nightmare over. As the other two approached, the man did not run. He merely stood and observed the team assembling around him. "So, you're the bunch of odd folks I was told to expect." Nightmare was confused.

"Surely this maggot cannot be our 'secret weapon!'"

Megatron scolded the demon. "Is that any way to treat an honored team member?" He turned to the man, who was brushing soot off of his home-made leather jacket. "Now, what exactly do you do?" The man stroked his short beard in thought.

"Well, I don't think I'm much of anything. Folks say all sorts of things about me."

Megatron was a little annoyed by the indirect response. "And what do these… _folks_ say about you?"

"They say I can sing, but I doubt that's what you're looking for. They say I'm a pretty decent shot, too," he said, gesturing to a bow on the ground. Megatron looked at the bow, and back at the man. Then the answer struck him.

"Sir, what is your name?"

The man did not answer, but he did laugh softly. He picked up his bow and began to amble towards the woods on the other side of the clearing. Megatron and the other warriors followed, amazed and dumbstruck by the man.


	4. From Equestria, With Love

Dirt roads had never interested Holly Short much, but she found herself examining every inch of the one she was currently walking down. It was about ten feet wide, and it was about one inch lower than the surrounding ground of the forest. It would probably flood very badly in the event of a rainstorm. She knelt down and scooped up a small amount of the dirt with her fingers. It was cold, dry, and lifeless. By comparison, the dirt underneath the trees of the forest was moist and thick, not unlike potting soil.

_I can't believe it. You're in an extra-dimensional gladiatorial competition, and you're COMPARING DIRT. Get ahold of yourself, Holly!_ She brushed the dirt off of her hands and continued down the path.

The (cold, dry, lifeless) dirt road wound through the forest and eventually led to a small, quiet brook. Holly looked down at the stream, then up into the surrounding foliage. Her opponents were nowhere nearby. The elf took the opportunity to study the components of the environment again. She knelt in the water and stirred at the sediment underneath. There were no fish in the brook, nor was there any form of algae. The rocks were unnaturally clean and uniformly smooth. _It's like it was just made. No, it's like it was put in place by a landscaper._ _The Master of Games creates these arenas, but he can't simulate reality perfectly._ Holly picked up one of the smooth, black stones and was examining it when the air was split by a loud crack and a burst of lavender energy. Holly ducked for cover behind a shrub nearby and readied her Neutrino 3000. She delicately pushed the barrel through the branches, squinting to make out her assailant.

The brook had been partially evaporated, and a thin veil of steam hid the interloper briefly. Holly vaulted over the bush, aiming down the sights of her blaster. The mist cleared, and the elf was greeted by a strange sight. Standing before her was what resembled a small horse with all of the hard lines carved out of it. Its coat was lavender, and its flank bore an insignia- a cluster of stars Holly couldn't identify. Atop its head was a short, blunt horn.

"What in Frond's name are you?" questioned the elf.

The creature spoke with a surprisingly human voice. "A unicorn, of course," it said, gesturing to the horn with one of its hooves. "My name's Twilight Sparkle." Holly holstered her weapon and scratched her head.

"And why exactly are you talking to me?"

"Because something fishy is going on with this Grand Combat, and I need all the help I can have to get to the bottom of it. I was told you were one of the more agreeable people around."

"By whom?"

"Some big guy with a horned helmet. He spoke very highly of you."

"The Dovahkiin, figures. You can tag along, but I have some bigger priorities right now. I've got to find Katniss and make sure she hasn't curled up and cried herself to death first. I'll help you once we've got her accounted for."

"That's fine. Lead the way." And with that, Holly set off down the bank of the brook, with Twilight trotting along behind her. _We'll see how long this lasts, _Holly thought. _If anyone here actually needs my help, it's Katniss. The second this Twilight Sparkle gets in the way, I'll send her to the glue factory._


	5. Coward Killing Time

Another leaf fell from the tree and brushed past her nose. Through some serious effort, Katniss avoided scratching at it- she needed to keep her bow strung. From her perch in the canopy, she could see the figures assembling at the bottom of the tree. The huge man in the green armor stood with his back to the trunk, while four other men gathered around him. The armored man began to address them.

"One, two, three, four. Okay, that's everyone. Report what you found on your reconnaissance missions, locations of teams or the ring. Anything of importance will do. Kenshiro, you first." Katniss had never seen Kenshiro carry any weapons or use any sort of magic, so she assumed he was some kind of martial artist. He was a tall, intense-looking man with an angry-looking face. He wore a faded blue jacket and old, worn boots. The old clothes seemed familiar to Katniss. _His clothes seem almost home-spun. I wonder if his universe is anything like mine?_

Kenshiro spoke. "I saw a team, in the distance. They were headed north, where the forest becomes thinner and the stream runs. It was the team with the robot dinosaur, and those horrible mutants. There was a man with them I didn't recognize. That's all."

The man in the armor nodded. "That's the Master's personal team. They were given a head start in the last challenge, and I'm willing to bet that they've been clued in on where the ring is. After the rest of your reports, we'll track them down. Mario, what did you see?"

The short and comically-proportioned man shrugged. "I got-ta nothing."

Next to him stood a tall, husky man with a massive machine gun, wearing a heavy bulletproof vest over a shirt marked with the letters _R.E.D._ He replied with an accent proportional to his body's thickness. "I saw no puny baby-men, either."

The armored man turned to the youngest member of the group, a boy in a black robe. Katniss had spoken with him briefly, on the first day of the Grand Combat. His name was Harry, and he claimed to be a wizard. "What about you, kid?"

"I was by the stream as well, a little further to the west. There were some footprints in and by the stream. Some of them looked human, but a little small." _That's probably Holly_, Katniss thought. "But there were animal tracks there as well. Looked like hooves. They went down the bank, next to the footprints." _That's more difficult to explain. As far as I know, there are no animals in this arena. What could leave those tracks? I had better try and find her._

Katniss slowly and deliberately turned and crept back along her perch to the trunk of the tree. She had just reached the trunk when she felt her left foot lose purchase on the branch. Her next thoughts were not very profound.

"Oh, shi-"

She fell sideways through the branches, being knocked backwards and forwards the whole way down. Katniss concluded that dropping straight down from a much higher altitude uninterrupted would have been far more pleasant. She was considering whether or not she was lucky that a branch didn't knock her unconscious when she plowed face-first into the dirt at the bottom of the tree. She had conveniently fallen just out of the armed men's line of sight, but they certainly heard her.

"What was noise?" The tall, fat man said, hefting his minigun and spooling it up. Dazed and confused, Katniss attempted to get up and stumbled awkwardly backwards, tripping over the tree's exposed roots. She fell on her back, staring up at the dirt clinging to the roots. Something stuck in the mud glinted, and she feebly reached out and pulled it to her face.

_No way_, she thought. The armed men swept around the tree trunk and surrounded her. The accented man leveled his minigun at the fallen girl.

"Now it's coward killing time," he chuckled cruelly.

Katniss smiled weakly. "Not today," she breathed, and disappeared.


	6. My Precious

It had been about an hour since Holly and her new companion, Twilight Sparkle, had heard the gunshots. They had immediately set off in the direction of the sound in order to investigate, but the arena had turned out to be much larger than they had previously thought. "Bloody forests. Even if they had let me have some wings, they'd be useless," the elf concluded.

Twilight nodded. "It's a war of attrition the Master of Games is after. He certainly took the size of the arena into consideration. The construction, on the other hand, seems to be a little shady."

Holly halted their advance through the forest and turned to face the diminutive, yet intelligent unicorn. "How so?"

Twilight dug her hoof into the ground and lifted up a little dirt. "See this? Humus. It's a soil that's naturally found in deciduous forests, like the one the arena is simulating. But the dirt on the paths is more mineral-heavy, and less fertile. The Master isn't building them to be realistic, he's building them to be useful."

"This may sound odd, but I thought something was wrong with the dirt."

"Yes. The arenas aren't real places, they're being conjured magically. And very quickly, too."

Holly knelt down and plucked a blade of grass. "And he's made some sort of mistake?"

"Yes," Twilight continued. Her horn glowed softly, and the blade of grass lifted out of the elf's hands and floated next to the unicorn. "When a plane of existence is conjured slowly, deliberately," she gestured toward the blade of grass as it split seamlessly down the middle. "The magic it was created with removes itself from the world." Holly nodded, though she wondered if the extended metaphor was necessary. "When the world is created quickly," Twilight elaborated, snapping one half of the blade of grass in half again, but more violently, "You get left overs." She set the torn grass back in Holly's hands. Holly saw the strands of the torn grass poking out, the little veins that had moved water through the small plant.

"Left-over magic?"

"I call it the Residual Magical Genesis Field," said the unicorn proudly. "Tons of formless magic, stored energy, floating around in the air. And it wants out." Holly was genuinely impressed.

"Now, could anyone in the arena use this magic?" She questioned.

"I don't know. The magic is waiting for some form of outlet for energy, but where and when it may release that energy is-"Her ears perked up. "Do you hear that?"

Holly did hear it. It was a low roar, accompanied by sharp cracking. "Fire," she realized. She broke off at a run through the woods, and Twilight galloped after her. She saw light breaking through the trees ahead, and she charged through into a sizeable clearing. The opposite end of the clearing was ablaze. Through the mirage of the inferno, Holly and Twilight could make out a singular figure, crossing the expanse slowly.

"D'Arvit. It's Katniss." Holly rushed ahead.

"Wait, Holly! Something's not right!" Twilight called. Despite the warning, the elf charged up to the girl, who stopped in the middle of the clearing. Twilight reluctantly ambled up, but kept a fair distance.

"Well, are you okay? Run into any trouble?" Holly waited for a reply as Katniss stared off into the distance.

"A little. One of the other teams. They're dead now." The girl said without batting an eye.

Realization struck Holly. _Twilight's right. What in Frond's name happened to her?_ She tried to glean a little more information from her using a roundabout technique. "Ready to, um, team up?"

"I don't think I'll be needing your help anymore," Katniss said, drawing something from her jacket. She held it between her index finger and thumb and shifted her focus to it, giving the object that same blank stare. It was a small, golden ring with a thin silver chain. "It's all I need."

Holly needed to appeal to more basic logic, as Katniss was clearly not in a proper state of mind. "Well, maybe for this challenge. But we've got to stick together for this whole thing. Don't you want to go back home?" Katniss did not lift an eye from the ring.

"But it's more than that. It can give me everything- a way out of the Combat. I could go back to my life, live it over. I could get revenge on every single person who ever hurt me, or Prim. This ring, it's more than a means to an end."

Holly tentatively stepped forward, ready to seize the ring. _First, you should negotiate._ "Yes, it is very nice. Now, can't I see it?" Katniss turned her head and stared Holly straight in the eyes. The _Mesmer_ had failed.

"No. You can't. I can't let you have something so…"

Holly stepped even closer. "Listen, give it here. It's done something to you."

Katniss stared back at the ring, and found the word that had eluded her.

"Precious," she said, drew her knife, and plunged it into Holly.

"_My_ precious."


	7. What Friends Are For

The elf collapsed, perhaps more from shock than injury. Katniss had already begun to advance toward Twilight, and had left the knife wedged in her once-friend. As she bled, Holly felt at the wound, and surprisingly began to chuckle. With some effort, the small, bleeding figure rose from the ground.

"I can't believe it. She missed." Holly pulled the knife out from her blood stained LEP uniform. She ran her fingers across the injury again, and confirmed that the knife had been slowed enough by the light armor to have glanced off of the ribs, cutting only the skin. Blue-green magic flowed from her fingertips and healed the cut in seconds. Holly slipped the knife in her pocket. Katniss had almost entirely crossed the clearing, and was headed for Twilight Sparkle, who was cowering under a defensive-spell dome.

Holly called after the girl. "Hey sure-shot! You want to try and kill me again? I think you may have messed up the first time!"

Katniss turned from the unicorn and faced Holly. Katniss did not reply to the taunt. She instead snapped the ring's chain from around her neck, slipped on the band, and vanished. _D'Arvit. _Holly thought._ The ring doesn't just drive you insane, but it turns you invisible? What kind of idiot would come up with that? _An invisible, but very real fist connected with Holly's chin and sent her spinning into the grass. The elf rolled to the left and jumped to her feet, only to feel another blow sink into her stomach and send her reeling. She spun onto her back and saw the blue sky through the dark veil of the burning forest. _Wait, that's it!_

Holly pulled herself away by her hands and feet, scrambling from a crawl into a sprint toward the trees. "Twilight! Follow me!"

A basic part of LEP training was being able to identify shielded opponents without detection gear. By leading a foe into thick crowds, mud, or even rain, you could easily see the impact they made on their surroundings- people shoved aside, footprints, even a thin outline suspended in midair. The burning forest- which Holly had begun to suspect was Katniss' doing- provided low-hanging smoke and floating embers, both of which would swirl around her pursuer.

Holly dove to the base of a large tree and held her breath. Twilight skidded to a halt next to her. "What now?" the inquisitive unicorn asked, following the question with a violent cough.

"Don't breathe," Holly hissed, and watched the smoke. _Nothing yet._ She looked up and saw a burning branch hanging above her. The branch forked into two strong-looking arms. Holly nudged the unicorn who was now straining against taking breaths and pointed up at the branch. Twilight gave a nod of understanding.

The smoke shifted a little at the corner of Holly's vision, and the silhouette of the girl appeared just to her left. An ethereal-looking arm, wreathed in smoke and sparks, wound up for a punch. Holly sidestepped and dodged the strike, realizing that the lack of air was draining Katniss' judgment. The elf grabbed the outstretched arm, and used a fairy martial-arts technique for disabling foes quickly. A well-placed strike later, and the girl's arm bones shattered. Katniss let out a shriek of pain, sucking in the smoke-clogged air. Stunned by pain and difficulty breathing, she staggered for just a moment.

"NOW, TWILIGHT!" At Holly's command, the unicorn's magic sent the forked branch flying through the air, and into the ground- pinning Katniss beneath it. Holly rushed to her fallen friend and felt down her invisible arms to her also-invisible hands, thrashing and screaming and coughing. Holly found what she was looking for- a cool spot of metal along her writhing right fingers. The elf attempted to hold the hand still, but it was clear Katniss wouldn't relinquish the ring so easily. Holly knelt on the ground and placed a firm foot on the hand. The girl yelped in agony.

"Sorry, Katniss, but it's about to get worse. It's for your own good though," the elf said as she drew the knife Katniss had so kindly donated. Holly could imagine the girl's crazed eyes locking onto the knife and realizing what was coming. Holly drove the knife past the knuckle and severed the finger, Katniss and her blood becoming instantly visible. Her eyes were closed, clearly having gone into shock. Holly knew that this stage of the plan was even more urgent. Twilight galloped up next to the impromptu surgeon, and magically removed the branch from the ground. Holly attempted to throw Katniss' limp body over the pony, but had a little trouble overcoming her size disadvantage. Twilight magically hefted the girl onto her back- not an easy task, considering Katniss was twice her size- and the three left the forest as quickly as they could.


	8. Liability

Katniss opened her eyes, squinting against the setting sun that peeked through the trees. It was a few seconds before the dull ache in her hand progressed to throbbing pain. She lifted it to her eye level to see the damage and unwittingly released a whole new level of agony from her broken arm. The quick glimpse she got confirmed that her severed finger was back, most probably the work of fairy magic. She would have smiled, but there was not a bit of positive energy left in her body. She grimaced, unable to scream.

The small and unusual horse from earlier sauntered into view. "Up and moving already? Holly wasn't kidding. You _are_ a trooper." Katniss gave the purple pony a dazed look. "Oh, perhaps I should introduce myself formally. I'm Twilight Sparkle, but you can call me Twilight." A purple hoof was extended in greeting. Slowly and deliberately, Katniss raise her left hand to shake, but the sight of her good hand flooded her with images of her rampage.

_Panic. Fear. They can't see their foe. I am death itself, invisible and inescapable. The big man with the machine gun goes first, then the little man with the overalls and bad accent. Kenshiro tries to defend himself, but even fists as fast as his can't hit what he can't see. The boy from the first day, the wizard, doesn't put up much of a fight. Then the one they called Chief. He could see. Maybe radar, or something. That didn't stop me shoving an arrow through his helmet. The armor started sparking after that. That's probably how the fire started, but I didn't care, did I?_

Katniss let her hand drop. _I knew I did those things. I remember doing them. And I wanted to do them. _The unicorn saw the despair on her face. "Oh, I know you are probably concerned about what happened. But it wasn't under your control, there wasn't anything you could do." Katniss wanted to shake her head, wanted to raise her voice and say _Yes, yes it was. There was something not right deep inside me and I'm afraid it is still there. _But she could not, and so she sat, leaned against a log in the deep of an artificial forest, mute.

Soft, small footsteps told Katniss that Holly had arrived. She heard the elf come to a stop just behind the log she leaned against, but she couldn't see her. Twilight looked up at the elf.

"Done with that ritual? She woke up while you were gone."

"Yes. Maybe it means she'll appreciate the healing more," replied Holly, who placed her hands on Katniss' back.

"Now, this will feel odd, but it should take care of your arm."

The blue-green sparks fizzled into Katniss' field of view and jumped toward her broken appendage. Each little dot of the potent magic homed in on the arm, sunk under the skin, and buzzed like a hive of bees as the pain began to fade away. Katniss slowly raised her arm, testing the joints. In the span of seconds, agony had turned into mild soreness. Fairy magic was powerful stuff.

Katniss leaned forward, tumbling off of the log she had been sitting against. Catching herself with her good arm, she turned to thank Holly.

"That was pretty…" she paused. It was there. Around _her_ neck. Its thin chain melted back into one piece. The ring twinkled softly. Invitingly.

"…impressive…" the girl croaked quietly, and began to reach for the band. She was halted by the log, and proceeded to tumble onto the ground. Twilight rushed to her aid, and Holly made sure to move the ring somewhere less conspicuous.

"Are you all right?" asked Twilight, magically suspending her arm and examining it for injury. Katniss stared at her hand blankly.

_Did I really just try to take it again? After all that?_

"No. I… I'm not all right. I can't stay around you guys with that… _precious_… thing! I'm a liability!"

Holly tried to comfort her, which was beginning to seem like a more common activity than actually fighting in this tournament. "Katniss, calm down. You're disoriented and confused. You need more rest. We'll work out what-"

"No! You don't get it. That thing… I… _need_ it. And if I stick around you guys, I'm going to end up doing whatever it takes to get it. I have to protect you from me. I have to get away." And with that, she stood, and charged headlong into the woods.

Holly drew her Neutrino and clicked it into its lowest setting, taking aim at her retreating friend. Twilight's hoof pulled her weapon down.

"Hey, what gives? We need to talk this over with her."

The unicorn shook her head. "No. Can't you see? This has to be part of the Master's plans. According to my research, the One Ring effects people in varying degrees. Those with more power to carry out its will are corrupted more quickly and to a greater extent. The Master of Games must have known this, and planned this challenge specifically so Katniss would turn on us, and eventually, we would turn on her."

Holly took a brief moment to absorb the knowledge. She nodded in understanding. "Okay, I get it. Now, I've charmed myself to be immune to possession, so I can only imagine what the ring could do to me, but… seriously? It _instantly_ made Katniss a maniac? What kind of power does she really have?"

"You know her better than I do, Holly."

"You're right. And I'd say she's about to get herself into _deep trouble._"


	9. Evil Ki

"So where do you think the ring is, Ryu?" mused Mikasa dryly to her traveling companion. They had been walking for hours, with absolutely no sign of any opponents, or the inanimate objective.

The martial artist shrugged. "Perhaps on the other side of this forest. We may get there by nightfall," he said, patting his duffel bag. "Or we may have to camp out."

"We wouldn't have to camp out if you didn't insist that I _walk_ with you," the scout grunted.

"A group is always stronger than the individual. And you might run into enemies."

"I'm aware. I would kill them all," she replied, drawing one of her anti-Titan swords.

Ryu shook his head. "Such overconfidence can only lead to defeat. The slow path leads to self-improvement."

"I don't have time for your philosophy lessons. We'll lose at this rate." Mikasa drew her other sword, pulling its trigger. The pitons of her 3D Maneuver Gear sunk into a nearby tree.

"I'm out of here." With a flick of another trigger, the cables retracted, tossing her deep into the woods.

_She'll be back,_ thought Ryu.

Not a moment past cue, Mikasa swung back into view, seemingly fumbling in midair and combat rolling to the ground. She dusted herself off and stood up, a look of fear and confusion on her face.

"There's something weird going on in there," she said, and almost instantly the light seemed to drain out of the forest. In the span of a minute, it had become night.

"That's just too bizarre. That doesn't just happen, right?" She turned to Ryu, whose eyes were closed. He seemed to be in deep concentration.

"This darkness… it's being produced by some evil ki. Darker than anything I have ever sensed before."

"What kind of forest has evil ki?"

"Not the forest," whispered Ryu. "Something in it."

Heavy footfalls sounded on their left. The foliage rustled, and something leapt out.

"I DON'T HAVE IT!" called the girl with the bow and arrow as she sprinted away.

Startled and confused, Ryu lost his focus.

"Who in the world was that?"

"An absolute idiot," replied Mikasa, who drew her swords.


	10. Too Quiet

Katniss knew the other warriors were likely to follow her. She didn't care. _If I just keep running… I don't know. I'll fall off the edge? Then I can't hurt them anymore. Was it night before?_

She heard them shouting out after her, but she wouldn't stop. She leapt over shrubs and gullies, tearing through the forest with utmost determination. Something that sounded like a giant zipper being done shrieked overhead. Katniss looked up, catching a glimpse of the girl with the swords.

"Hold up!" shouted the airborne girl. "You don't want to go any further!"

"Yes, I do!"

Another zipper shrieked, and Katniss felt something catch her leg. She tripped forward, sliding forward on her face for much longer than she would have preferred. The sword girl descended behind her, winding up the cable she had used to trip Katniss into the bulky device built into her belt.

"No, you don't. Did you even notice how it just became night?"

"Yes, of course. The Gamema- I mean, the Master of Games can change the time of day as he pleases. Nothing too out of the ordinary."

"No. There's something in the forest making it dark."

"Evil ki!" gasped Ryu, stumbling through the brush and struggling to catch his breath.

Katniss punched a tree in frustration.

"God, _more_ of you? I don't have time for this. I have to get away."

"From what?" questioned Mikasa.

"The ring! I have to keep away from it!"

Ryu was puzzled. "Isn't the point of the competition to hold it?"

Katniss cradled her head in her palms.

"It's evil! And it made me try to _kill my own team!_" She took a moment to catch her breath. "And I would appreciate it if you left me alone!"

Mikasa sheathed her swords. "Fine. Have it your way. Come on, Ryu. Let's avoid that evil ki."

The two turned and stumbled back through the dark forest. Katniss set off again, at a light jog this time. The moon, or something that looked just like it, shined brightly overhead, but only tiny pinpricks of its light reached the ground. The trees loomed over her like pillars of onyx, vast and omnipresent. Only the sound of her footfalls kept Katniss company. And then, they didn't.

Katniss paused for a moment, even stomping her feet on the ground.

_No noise at all. Weird. That's just _too _quiet. _

For a moment, her ears sensed nothing but silence. Then, a quiet ringing, as if from far away. Katniss walked a few more steps, hoping that it would go away. It didn't. She searched to the left and right for the source of the sound, but there was simply _nothing_ in the dark forest. The ringing was getting louder, closer. She broke into a jog again, and then a full-out sprint, but she could not escape the sound. Her foot caught an exposed root, and she tripped.

_Damn, how many times today is that?_

She scrambled to her feet, preparing to try and escape the sound again, when she noticed the ground. The moon's light was scattered everywhere along the forest's floor… except in front of her.

"That's too big to be… my… shadow," Katniss said, gripping her knife and clenching her jaw against the ringing noise. She turned, and for the first time in a long while, she consciously screamed in fear.


	11. The Slender Man

Ryu stopped, holding out a hand to instruct Mikasa likewise.

"Evil ki?" groaned the sullen girl.

"Evil ki," confirmed Ryu.

Mikasa leapt into the air, executing a vertical flip and triggering her pitons, zipping back towards the girl who had left them earlier. Using her 3DMG in the forest was simple, an almost instinctual dance between aiming with her thighs, flicking the triggers, performing burns with the gas fan, and adjusting her swords like ailerons, followed by those brief moments of chaos as the pitons retracted and let go, sending her tumbling through the air to line up her next shot. It was a methodical madness to the highest degree, a perfect synthesis of situational awareness and insanity.

The scout heard the scream again, this time closer. She banked hard to her left, swinging around a tree horizontally at maximum speed. As she reached the apex of the turn, the pitons snapped back, and Mikasa was thrown skyward to observe the screaming girl. She was collapsed on the ground, seemingly trying to escape the figure before her.

Somehow, in the darkness of the forest, it was visible as an even greater darkness. Its extremities all seemed formless, a swirling mass of dark tendrils. But towards its center, its form was more concrete. The endless void congealed into a slim suit and tie, and a thin, white neck held a white head aloft.

"Wha-" Mikasa gasped as the entity came into view. As if it heard her, it turned to face the airborne girl. Or rather, not face her. For the creature's white head was completely featureless, having no eyes, mouth, ears or hair. And yet it somehow stared straight into Mikasa's soul. In the blink of an eye, the creature had extended an arm, and she was trapped in its icy, formless grip. Instantly Mikasa was slammed into the ground, pinned by the being's jet-black appendage. It slowly began to float toward her, seemingly gliding across the ground.

Katniss struggled to her feet. Being close to that creature seemed to have weakened her, and it took considerable effort to string her bow.

"Over here," she wheezed, causing the thing to turn its terrible head. She let the arrow fly, and watched it find its mark dead-center in the creature's face. The arrow then continued through, completely unhampered. The blank face fixated its gaze on Mikasa once again.

Katniss panicked. _Is it invincible?_

Long strands of purest darkness began to trail out of its back as it picked the helpless Mikasa up, slowly pulling its arms in, drawing her toward its unnatural void. Mikasa tried to scream, but all of the air had been drawn out of her. Her world was beginning to fade into darkness, with only the creature's face remaining in her vision.

_"HADOKEN!"_

The blue sphere of ki energy sliced through the night, ripping the thing's arms into mere filaments of night, it reeled back, silent as always, but clearly in anguish. Mikasa tumbled to the ground, and shakily drew a fresh set of swords. Ryu leapt from the brush, another ball of energy crackling in his hands.

"Make this one count!" shouted Katniss. Ryu gave a nod, charging the orb with more energy.

_"SHINKU HADOKEN!"_

The _hadoken_ tore through the creature, vaporizing its dark form.

Katniss stumbled over to the martial artist, still a little dazed from the assault.

"Can you show me how to do one of those someday?"

"Perhaps," said Ryu. "Gotetsu-ryu Ansatsuken is a deadly art taught to those pure enough to master it safely. The power of the _Satsui No Hado_ can corrupt easily."

"It's coming back together," said Mikasa, with more than a hint of fear permeating her words. Where the creature once stood, the night began to swirl, ebbing into the familiar, semi-humanoid shape.

"We… can't kill it." Katniss stammered. "Is this it? The end?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," chirped Holly, de-shielding next to her.

"Agreed," mused Twilight Sparkle, teleporting in next to Ryu. "Now, we need to get down to business."

With a grunt, the unicorn's horn began to glow. A pink magical barrier appeared between the startled warriors and the ethereal creature.

"Wait," gasped Katniss, "the ring!" Holly gave a chuckle.

"Me and Twilight came up with a solution. She charmed it so it's invisible. You have no idea which one of us has it, or where we're carrying it."

Katniss nodded with understanding, but was a little concerned that she would try to grab the unholy band if they weren't in such immediate danger. Twilight cleared her throat.

"Now, based on my brief analysis, I can come to the conclusion that this being is the one known as the Operator, Der Großmann, the Tall Man, or the Slender Man. It is a known avatar of the Old God Nyarlathotep, and is known to produce neurotoxic aura known as the Black Veil, which causes severe coughing fits known as _slendersickness. _On defensive rolls, it receives a plus-five buff, and-"

"TELL US HOW TO KILL IT," screamed Katniss.

"Well, it's actually quite simple," stated Twilight. "I have a magical de-stabilization spell that, while quite time-consuming to cast, and focus-intensive, should be able to cancel its regenerative abilities."

The creature had floated up to the barrier, and was seemingly waiting for them to drop it.

Mikasa tightened her grip on her swords. "So we distract it, until you can cast this spell fully."

"And then you kill it." Confirmed Twilight.

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Holly, drawing her Neutrino. "Let's do this."

Twilight dropped her barrier, and the warriors scattered in all directions. The Operator continued to focus on the Unicorn, inching closer.

"_SHAKUNETSU HADOKEN!"_

The red fireball punched a hole through the advancing Operator, which stood still for a moment, then began to turn towards Ryu. He ducked behind a nearby tree, which Mikasa had been hiding against.

"Tag, you're in," Ryu lilted. Mikasa rushed out from behind the tree, faced again by the dark creature.

"Never again," growled the scout, and she launched into the air, zipping toward the Operator. It extended its arms a second time, but Mikasa was ready. With a twist of her body, she became a whirling cyclone of blades, severing the creature's limbs as if they were nothing- probably because they were. She snapped toward another tree, landing and examining the damage she dealt. The Operator had temporarily lost its hands, but they were already beginning to regenerate.

_As I expected. I can't damage it with single strikes. But an opponent that can heal itself can be overwhelmed._

Mikasa took aim and fired the pitons, which anchored themselves in trees behind the Operator. She launched herself off of the tree and flicked her triggers, jetting across the clearing, and striking the creature as she went. She landed on another tree, lined up, and did it again. And again. And again. Mikasa was a blur, a streak of death, beating the Operator's upper body into a formless void pulp.

Twilight watched Mikasa's deadly dance above. Everything was going according to plan. The unicorn strained, charging her spell's power.

_If my calculations are correct, I'm about halfway done. So I still need more time._

"Holly! Katniss!" she gasped.

"Got it!" shouted the elf, who dove from her tree. She drew her Neutrino, firing into the creature's lower body repeatedly. Each shot tore a small hole through the Operator's dark form.

Katniss fired another arrow into the Operator, but it simply flew through the other side.

"Holly! It's not working!"

"That's not good!" grunted Holly between shots.

Ryu leapt back into the fray. "I've got it!" He pulled his hands back, charging another sphere of energy. _"HADOKEN!"_

The fireball exploded around the creature's battered legs, reducing them to a deep, black smoke. Suddenly, a thin, pink field appeared around the ebbing dark mass.

"That's it," gasped Twilight. "It's up. One more attack should do it."

"My pleasure," said Katniss, stringing an arrow. She fired directly into the center of the swirling mass, the arrow pulling back the void into a thin stream, trailing along after the fletching. The arrow itself embedded itself into a tree, and the trail drifted off into the night. Light began to break through the forest's canopy, and the sun was edging its way out from behind the horizon.


	12. A Warrior's Debt

"The evil ki has been destroyed," confirmed Ryu.

Mikasa dropped from above, her swords dripping with the black smoke-like ichor of the Operator. She pulled down the scarf that was covering her mouth. "With that inconvenience now removed, what do we do about the ring? After all, Ryu and I were our own team. And we know either the unicorn or the small Titan has it."

"I'm an elf," muttered Holly under her breath. "And not a particularly small one either."

"If we join together, you'll get the benefits of us holding the ring," noted Twilight.

Ryu was puzzled. "But if it really works like that, why wouldn't everyone group around the ring?"

"No one with it would let anyone else near it. It was all part of the Master's plan," whispered Katniss, casting a wayward eye towards that odd-looking little horse. The other warriors nodded in agreement.

Twilight lifted a hoof. "Since we seem to have overcome this pitfall, I suggest we confirm our mutual GHUUUH," she gasped, Katniss' fingers gripped tightly around her throat. The girl slammed the unicorn into a nearby tree, prying ever closer to her face. Holly and Mikasa drew their weapons.

Katniss paid no mind to them. "Where. Is. It?" she growled maniacally.

"Put her down!" Instructed Holly, aiming her Neutrino. "I have it."

"No, you don't, hehehe," cackled the girl. "The precious, it tells me where it is. You don't have it, see?"

"I'll end this," hissed Mikasa, rushing forward. Holly extended a leg, tripping her.

"No, you won't. We'll work this out."

Twilight was beginning to turn a darker shade of purple, gasping something about friendship. Mikasa was about to turn her swords on the 'elf' (she was fairly certain it was a Titan, despite what it said), and Ryu was desperately trying desperately to inform the group about-

A two-fingered strike ripped through the air and planted itself firmly on the back of Katniss' head. Paralyzed, her grip on the unicorn faltered, causing the pony to collapse onto the ground, struggling to catch her breath.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" said Mikasa, lifting a sword toward the man who stood behind Katniss. His arm was still extended out, his two fingers holding Katniss aloft with ease.

"Do you know why she is infatuated with the ring?" The words were drawn out slowly, the baritone carrying over the rustling of the forest foliage.

Twilight struggled to her hooves. "Yes. It senses her power."

"The Battle Aura. _Touki._ If the ring cannot sense it, it cannot draw anyone to itself."

Katniss crumpled to the ground, flipping herself back onto her feet to face her assailant. The man's torn blue jacket was stained with blood. His eyes locked onto hers, and he drew his hands back into a fluid fighting stance.

"You?" she snarled. "I killed you."

"I see you are unaware of the Transmigration of Souls technique. You may be able to injure my physical body, but as long as my soul is not present within it, I can recover from nearly any attack."

"I don't _give a damn_," Katniss screamed, swinging a fist towards the man's chin. She saw him visibly frown and narrow his eyebrows. Almost instantly, uncountable strikes connected with Katniss' body, the man's fists flying so rapidly that they almost left an afterimage. Katniss' light frame was lifted into the air by a cushion of punches- and almost as quickly as the barrage began, the man's hands were once again still and at the ready. The girl fell with a dull thud, slowly rising again.

"You idiot, you're supposed to _hurt_ people when you punch them."

The man _almost_ smiled.

"You'll be feeling different about that in a few seconds."

"I don't think so," she growled, leaping at the man again. Then, as if on cue, she fell short of her attack, writhing on the ground in pain.

"What in Frond's name did you do to her?" Demanded Holly, now leveling her weapon on the newcomer. Though she wasn't very sure it would do much good…

"The art of _Hokuto Shinken_ specializes in manipulation of all of the body's pressure points. If one learns to strike the right ones in the right order, any of their body's functions can be altered, stopped, or destroyed."

Holly scratched her head.

"Have we met before?"

"Yes, in the previous battle. My team gave our token to yours. I am Kenshiro."

Katniss rolled on the ground, still moaning.

"To answer your question," Kenshiro continued, "I have forcibly shrouded her aura. Incidentally, this is the same principle on which the ring's own power works, which explains the difficulty I had in fighting her before."

Holly looked down at Katniss, who was groaning softly now.

"So she should be… 'cured'?"

"Yes."

Holly holstered her Neutrino and motioned for Mikasa to stow her weapons as well.

"Thank you, Kenshiro. We could use your help," the elf said, extending her hand in friendship.

"I'm afraid I must decline. Transmigration of Souls saved my life, but I cannot fight _and _recover. My work here is done. I am glad I could help your troubled friend."

With that, Kenshiro turned and walked away. Holly noticed that the man staggered after every third or fourth step. He soon disappeared among the endless sea of tree trunks.

"Wow," said Ryu. "I heard the other warriors talking about Kenshiro, talking about the power of his _Hokuto Shinken_. I thought they were exaggerating… but that does seem quite potent. I must try and fight him some time."

The elf knelt down by Katniss.

"Are you… okay?"

"I think… I feel all right now. For a while, everything was dark… and painful."

Holly waved Twilight forward.

"Un-charm it. Just do it."

"Easy for you to say," groaned Twilight, and the ring appeared on a chain around her neck. Holly slipped it off, and held it in front of the girl. Katniss simply stared up at it blankly.

"I don't hear it… calling… anymore," she whispered.

"Well, then!" shouted Holly triumphantly, tossing the ring back toward Twilight. "The band's back together!"

_But for how long? _Thought Katniss.


	13. The King's League Arrives

The team moved briskly through the forest, prepared at any moment to encounter another band of warriors, or worse, some other _thing_ like what they had fought before. For nearly an hour, they shuffled back-to-back, weapons, magic, and fists at the ready. No foes appeared.

Holly holstered her Neutrino. "Okay. I think it's fair to say we're not getting attacked, for now."

"He hasn't ended it, though." Twilight pointed out. "The computers haven't said anything."

"Then there's still one more team out there," said Katniss grimly.

The elf nodded in agreement. "The Master's team."

"How are we supposed to gain an advantage over them?" questioned Mikasa. "We can't ambush them if we don't know where they are."

"And I can't track them if I don't have a place to start," added Katniss.

Holly smiled. "Then our course of action is easy. We lead them to us."

This was met with a collective "What?"

"It's simple, really," explained Holly. "They have no choice but to take the ring from us. They show up, we beat them into a fine paste, we win."

Katniss wasn't so sure. "Do you remember fighting them last time?"

"Of course. They're a complete mess. I'm surprised they don't end up killing each other. It doesn't matter that they're scary-looking."

For a moment, the team contemplated.

"I am in favor of an honorable battle," said Ryu.

"Fine, whatever. Let's get this over with," conceded Mikasa.

Holly drew her Neutrino and waved it in the air triumphantly. "Three to two, it's decided! We're bringing them to us!"

"But-" Katniss stammered. She looked at Twilight, who performed an action she could only assume was the horse equivalent of shrugging. Reluctantly, she followed Holly and the rest of their team as they moved toward the light that glowed in the distance through the trees, the clearing where she first ran into Holly and Twilight.

Stepping out of the forest was relieving at first. Katniss even caught herself taking a deep breath, despite the fact that the air out there was no fresher than that among the trees. But across the grassy expanse was a grim reminder of her sins- a blackened forest, still smoldering. _I can't believe I did it. I killed them in cold blood. They all wanted the same thing I did. Doesn't everyone here? What made me better than them? That I was stronger? Isn't that what I fought so hard to oppose?_

Any further self-reflection was cut short by an unfortunate message from Mikasa, who was slowly drawing her swords.

"We've got company."

Across the field, emerging from the soot, was the final team. The huge, bio-mechanical form of Megatron looming over his subordinates- the fiendish swordsman Nightmare, the intelligent alien Predator, and the monstrous Xenomorph. They advanced into the clearing, coming to a halt forty meters away.

"Hey," Holly whispered to Mikasa. "Want to take the big guy?"

"No. 3D Maneuver Gear is almost useless in the open like this. I'll go for the sword-guy," responded the scout, eagerly twirling her blades.

"I'll fight the one with dreadlocks. It looks strong," said Ryu.

Twilight disagreed. "No way! That means I'm fighting that…" she motioned toward the Xenomorph. "…_thing_."

Katniss could not believe they were bickering at a time like this. They went back and forth. But over their voices, she heard something. A whistle? Or-

She extended her arm with speed and precision that was unnatural, even for her. Holly's face froze in horror as she realized what had just happened. Katniss' grip had sealed around an arrow, inches from one of the elf's eyes.

"…D-…D-Arvit…" she gasped.

Katniss gave the arrow a look, and snapped it in half. She directed her gaze along the trajectory it had followed. Up, up, and on top of Megatron's shoulder stood a man. With a graceful leap, he descended to the ground, and swung his bow onto his shoulder. He chuckled briefly.

"Well, kid. It's been a while."


	14. Unpleasant Reunion

Ice. Ice ran through her veins. Ice crawled up the windowsills and over the creek, ducking under snow and hiding, waiting for the unwary to pass over. Ice covered their brows and their backs as they hiked through the forest. He stopped and pointed up ahead. _There,_ he would say. _See? He's hiding along the trees._ She would shoot, the deer crumpling, its last good eye regarding the two as they set to work.

Warmth. The life of the animals running over their hands, the food- so scarce, so rewarding- melting in their stomachs. The smiles of her mother and sister as they returned from a day's hunt. The songs sung in the woods and repeated by the mockingjays, an endless harmony. Earth, close, ever present, hollow, surrounding, consuming. Fire, death, grief, sorrow, and emptiness.

"And you'll be back?"

"Hey, kid, of course I will."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Katniss."

"Katniss. _Katniss. Katniss!"_

She blinked. Holly had been the one speaking, fear filling the elf's eyes. The girl looked up, and saw him standing in front of her, his cold grey eyes locked onto her near-identical ones. Her father, the man who taught her everything she knew. The man who had ruined her life.

"You sure have grown up," he said softly.

Katniss remained frozen, asking him one thousand questions in her head. There were simply too many- _Why are you here? Why are we _both_ here? Why are you with _them?_ How did it happen? What was it like? What was the last thing you thought of? Was it _us? _Did you know what we had to go through? Do you know what _I _went through?_

"You're… you're-" she stuttered.

"Yes. I'm alive, very much so. It's good to see you again, Katniss."

"Ahh… uhh.. ye… yes. G-good to see you, too." Her mind was still reeling. Nothing made sense any more. Her nightmares made more sense, this whole Grand Combat made more sense, than this did. She fell backward, attempting feebly to sit up.

"Listen, kid, I'd really love to talk. But I'm afraid I have to go through you to get that ring."

"Yea- wait, what?"

"Sorry, but that's the way it is," said the man who was in fact her father, and he promptly punched Katniss in the face.

"ATTACK," screamed Megatron, and his warriors charged down Holly's stunned team.

"I'm just going to take the sword-guy, OK?" grunted Mikasa, who sprinted toward the blue knight. Holly shook her head and barely had time to dodge Megatron's huge sword-like weapon, which was composed of his dinosaur mode's tail. A quick hop and the oversized tail-sword buried itself in the ground beneath Holly's feet. She sprinted up the wide surface and leapt onto the robot's shoulder.

"Guess I'm stuck with you, huh, Barney?"

"You miserable organic SCUM," he cried, thrashing desperately to throw her off.

Katniss was still dazed from the punch, and was very glad that the big robot monster's weapon had not hit her in her stupor. She struggled to get up, but soon her father loomed in her view again. He reached down and grabbed her by the collar, lifting her to eye level.

"Why?" was all she managed to gasp. Her father's expression did not betray happiness, or anger. It was something closer to disappointment.

"Why are _you_ doing this? It's like the big man said. 'The winner will be given the ability to recreate their universe as they see fit.' I know you haven't exactly thought very highly of me since my… accident," Katniss was not sure how he would know that, "And I figure I could make things right for you. For Prim. I'm sure you would want that, wouldn't you? I'm sure that's what a lot of people here want. Now, why don't you just give up, and let me get to that ring, huh? For you." He still held her aloft. Katniss wasn't sure he was quite that strong when she was young, but then again, she had never prompted him to lift her by the neck. She decided now would be a good time to pick a question.

"Do you know what we went through, without you?"

He let go, and Katniss fell to the ground. She sprung to her feet and caught her breath.

"No," he said frankly.

"We starved," Katniss sobbed. "And after we starved, we got by on the skin of our teeth. And after that, the Games."

"Oh, God. Not Prim," he said softly. For a moment, Katniss noticed the absurdity of the situation. Here she was, talking with her _father_, standing next to a burnt forest as a variety of martial artists, magical creatures, aliens, and robots did battle around them.

"Me," she said astutely. "I went once. I screwed things up, got people angry. I won. They made me go again. _Again_. _Goddamned twice._ Then everything went to hell, there was a rebellion, and then- then Prim-" she stopped. Her father's face now was a visage of hatred itself. He drew a large hunting knife from his home-made leather jacket, which Katniss remembered helping her mother sew together.

"You see?" he seethed. "This is why. I wouldn't want that for any child, let alone _my two precious daughters!_ Now can you just give up? Make this easy?"

"But- but, dad, I-"

"Stop! Listen to yourself! I don't know what happened to you in those slaughter fests but you are not making sense."

"No, dad. I can't let you-"

"Fine then," he said, drawing the knife into an aggressive stance.

"You leave me no choice," and with that, he swung.


	15. Flugel der Freiheit

Mikasa leapt sideways, dodging the huge sword's slash.

"Your soul will be _mine!" _screamed the wielder, swinging Soul Edge along the ground. Mikasa jumped, the blade barely passing under her. The demonic knight pulled back for another strike. The scout watched the blade move back, and stop at the top of its arc. With ridiculous speed she swung her own swords, meeting the huge zweihander in mid-strike. With her entire upper body tensed, she held the sword back.

"You fool!" growled Nightmare. "Now you cannot strike!"

"Yes, I can," stated Mikasa, who delivered a tremendous scissor kick to the knight's helmet. It stumbled backward.

"Impossible! No mortal can strike with such force!"

Mikasa patted her 3D Maneuver Gear's storage box. "All in the lower body."

Nightmare charged again, barreling toward the scout. She noticed a small gap in the knight's armor, just underneath the heavy breastplate. She crouched, like a sprinter waiting for the gun- except she would be her own gun. Nightmare continued to draw closer. Three meters, two meters, one.

Mikasa focused on the weak point. She pushed off of the ground with her unnatural strength, kicking dirt and grass skyward. A click of one of her sword's triggers, and a burst of the 3DMG's gas propulsion added to her momentum. She extended the sword ahead, and felt the softer mail give way, running over her hand, arm and up to her shoulder. She had run the demon through, front-to-back.

"Uuugh," it moaned, hanging limp over her arm.

_Great. How am I supposed to get this thing off?_


	16. Ansatsuken vs Predator

Ryu was not having such troubles. He dodged another swipe from the Predator's wrist blades.

"Good, good, but _predictable," _he noted, delivering a fierce punch to the creature's face. Its mask absorbed a good deal of the blow, but it was still dazed from the strike.

"You see, you've left me an opening," continued Ryu, leaping into the air. He spun in place, unleashing a barrage of spinning kicks. "For my TATSUMAKI SENPUKYAKU!"

The martial artist landed artfully on his feet. The Predator reeled, but shook off the blows, growling. A metal stalk extended from its shoulder plate and began to whine.

"Oh," whimpered Ryu.

The plasma caster fired a bolt, and the martial artist responded in kind with a _hadoken_. The two blasts of energy collided in the air, erupting into a blue cloud of dispersed plasma. Ryu had raised his arms to guard against the backblast, and saw between them that the alien hunter was running toward him.

"If you insist," he said, reading his arm.

The Predator tore through the blue cloud of energy to find Ryu prepared. A muscular arm soared up from the ground, buring itself under the creature's chin.

"SHIN!" called out Ryu, leaping off the ground, carrying the Predator aloft on his fist.

"SHORYUKEN!" He extended his striking arm, tossing the Predator even higher into the air. Ryu dropped to the ground, wiping the green glowing blood off of his fighting gloves. A second later, the Predator slammed onto the ground with a thud, its mask tumbling off. Ryu moved over to his fallen opponent. The creature's eyes spun aimlessly in their sockets.

"That's a knockout, then," he confirmed.


	17. Game Over, Pony! Game Over!

Twilight circled her foe nervously. The creature was constantly eyeing her, despite the fact that it had no eyes.

_Oh man oh man oh man that thing is scary. Nopony would like to run into one of those in a dark alley, that's for sure. _

Twilight continued to sidestep, only to trip over her own hoof. She righted herself, but the creature saw its opportunity. It pounced toward the unicorn, shrieking madly. Twilight screamed before teleporting in time to dodge the creature's attack. She reconstituted behind the Xenomorph, which seemed surprised that it had not snagged her.

_ OK, let's see here. It looks like a Changeling… but I doubt an anti-changeling spell will work on it._

The creature turned and laid its not-sights on her again. She lowered her horn and fired a small bolt of magic, which bounced off of the creature's carapace. It growled menacingly.

_Silicon based life. Interesting. Basic magical attacks won't work on it. But perhaps I could try and bait it into doing something foolish._

The Xenomorph flicked its tail forward, its bladelike tip tearing through the place where Twilight used to be. She fired another bolt of magic at it, then turned tail and galloped toward the burnt forest. She looked back as she ran, the creature's spines and terrible elongated head appearing over the horizon.

_Eeek! It's really fast!_

She teleported toward the nearest burnt tree, its twisted black limbs echoing those of the creature pursuing her. For a moment, the creature paused to locate her once more. Twilight figured she would lend it a helping hoof.

"Hey, ugly!"

_Wow, that was more cliché than I thought._

The Xenomorph scurried toward her, hissing with that terrible grating-metal scream. Twilight backed up slowly, only run into the tree.

"I sure hope this works," she whimpered.

The creature drew back its tail, tipped with a deadly blade. The unicorn was afraid to look, so she shut one eye. The tail rocketed forward, and Twilight cast her spell.

_You see,_ she lectured to the creature, in her head, _I realized that I couldn't defeat you using magic or physical attacks. At least, not directly. So I added a reflection property to my Magic Dome Shield._

The Xenomorph's tail struck the shield, and upon touching it, reversed direction. The blade tore through its owner's ribcage, splattering its lower body with its own acid. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief inside her magical sanctuary as the creature dissolved itself.

_I'll have to write a letter about that one._


	18. The Demise Of The Ritual

Holly's fingers struggled to find purchase on the smooth, reptilian skin that covered Megatron's shoulder pads. Luckily, her light weight meant it was not difficult to hang on for dear life. She attempted to reach for her Neutrino, but the robot moved, tossing her along the surface of his arm.

"Get. Off," he said.

"Give me a good reason!" Holly retorted. She found a sunken-in metallic bit in the robot's armor and swung herself on to his back, landing in an alcove between bulky armor plate extending behind his shoulders, and his head. She finally was able to draw her Neutrino, pointing it directly at the back of Megatron's head.

"Say good night," she said, and fired. Megatron did not say good night. Instead, he reached up and plucked Holly off, dangling her in front of his face.

"Organic fool. Did it not occur to you that I could convert my systems to run on a frequency that would not be interrupted by your energy weapon?"

"No, no it didn't," she said, and shot him in the face. Megatron staggered backward, crying out in pain. He dropped Holly, who executed one of her signature three-point landings. She took off at a sprint toward the stumbling Cybertronian's left leg, which was temporarily at a 45-degree angle. It wasn't too different than a balance beam- except balance beams didn't have ten-ton killer robots attached to them. Holly leapt from the top of his leg onto his outstretched left arm, composed of his dinosaur mode's head.

Megatron caught himself, his stabilizing servos kicking in. He drew his left arm up to his face, grimacing at Holly.

"Do not test my patience, elf," he oiled, reaching for her with his right arm. Holly jumped from his arm onto his chest, which had a convenient platform-esque ridge for her to land on. She now stood directly in front of his metal face, which scowled fiercely.

"How about I test your vision?" she said, and jammed her small hand into his right optical socket. Holly grabbed at whatever she could and tore it out furiously, splattering the Predacon's face with his own Energon. He clawed wildly at his face, knocking Holly to the ground. Holly struggled to get up, and when she succeeded, she found the Cybertronian's right arm leveled at her. The Tyrannosaurus head's mouth was open, and an orb of purple energy was collecting inside.

"That's a gun, isn't it?" Holly moaned.

"Mark my words, Holly Short!" he screamed, cradling his injured eye with his left hand. "You will rue the day you stood against Megatron! For taking my sight, I shall take your life! Is that not justice? I think so, yesss."

Holly, suddenly unintimidated, began to wipe the Energon off of her hand.

"You know," she said. "It must really be a drag, not having peripheral vision."

"Whatever could you mea-"

His response was cut short by the razor-sharp blades severing the oh-so-critical connection between his head and body. The mighty Predacon fell backward, his systems whining as they lost power. Mikasa dropped to the ground, and sheathed her swords.

"I thought you said that 3DMG was useless in the open," said the elf accusingly.

"_Almost_ useless," grunted Mikasa.

Twilight came to a skidding halt in front of the two, with Ryu jogging in behind.

Holly holstered her Neutrino. "Everyone's back. I guess things went well." She received three nods.

She turned and looked toward the point where they had emerged from the forest. There, Katniss was still fighting her father. And it did not look like she was winning.


	19. BURNING JUSTICE!

Katniss tossed herself to the left again, and felt the knife just barely knick her.

_Great, another cut. I can't keep losing blood like this._

Her father prepared for another strike, but she quickly dove forward into a slice of her own. Once again, his knife was suddenly there, and her blade clattered off.

_It's like he knows my every move… which I guess makes sense. Considering he taught me._

"Come on, Katniss. Come to your senses," he said, throwing a punch toward her head. She ducked, only to find that his other arm was waiting with an uppercut. Katniss reeled backward, attempting to shake herself out of the daze. A swift kick connected with her side, almost crumpling her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Holly and the others arrive.

"Katniss! We're here to help!" called out the elf.

Her father turned, giving her friends a glance.

"I guess that's it, then. You win."

The girl wiped the blood off her face. "No."

"Did she just say, 'no'?" questioned Holly, albeit rhetorically.

Katniss winced through her words. "This is something… I have to do."

Her father turned back to her, drawing his knife again.

"Well, kid. You asked for it."

Katniss readied her knife as well. For a moment, the two simply watched another, waiting for the first move. Then, a sliding foot, or a breath taken early- the two read the signals, and struck simultaneously.

The onlookers watched the fight unfold. It was not the deadly grace of a swordfight, but brutal efficiency. Every thrust of a knife was countered with a grab or punch, every slice jumped at in parallel to minimize injury. It was not the style used by two dueling rivals, but by a hunter trapped by a bear. And both Katniss and Mr. Everdeen were simultaneously hunter and bear.

Katniss attempted a two-handed thrust, but her father's knife appeared to parry the attack, just before it would have sunk into his stomach. He countered with a haymaker, which Katniss sidestepped. She was about to follow through with a stab when he delivered a roundhouse to her hand, sending her knife flying.

Her father prepared to strike, lifting his knife into the air.

_ It's over,_ Katniss thought. _ I can't counter him with a knife, and I can't counter him without one. But I have to do this. I have to win. I have to show him that the life I _did _lead made me stronger. That despite the consequences, my actions made my world a better place. He can say all he wants, but in the end, his motivation is greed. He wants HIS daughters to live the life HE wants them to. At the cost of everyone in Panem. I can't let that happen. I have to attack. But how, if my arsenal of moves is his?_

The answer, however farfetched, dawned on her. Her father was still in mid-swing. She had the time.

_Okay. Here goes nothing._

She drew back her fist, her eyes fixed upon its target. Holly realized what was happening.

"No. She wouldn't…"

"She wouldn't, what?" Twilight asked.

Katniss tensed her muscles, and shouted with all of her strength. "**_MOCKINGJAY_**_!"_

For a moment, her father realized as well. This was not something he recognized.

_"__**PUUUUNNNCH**__!"_

As Katniss' arm began to travel forward, thousands upon thousands of residual magical particles in the air listened to her cries. They rushed to her fist, and enrobed it in raw power. Of course, Katniss was not aware of this. She saw, without warning, her fist burst into flames, which erupted further into a vaguely bird-like shape. The punch sailed through the air like a comet, trailing its superheated aura behind it. It buried itself in her father's stomach.

"Now that's differ-" he squeaked, before the flames surrounding the punch exploded.

The explosion was compact, but forceful. The grass underneath their feet was burnt away, and dust was kicked into the faces of the onlookers. The recoil knocked Katniss' fist back, and sent her father flying across the clearing, into the burnt forest. A trail of ash clouds rose in his wake, the sound of snapping tree limbs following it.

Katniss fell onto her knees, cradling her still-smoldering hand. Her friends rushed to her.

"What in Frond's name was that?" asked Holly.

"It was a punch," said Ryu. "A really strong punch."

Holly gave him a dry look. "I see why you pursued martial arts as a career."

"That," stated Twilight, "was the Residual Magical Genesis field. It noticed Katniss calling out the attack and figured it was an incantation."

"Attention, all combatants," said the disembodied voice of HAL 9000. "Since no teams remain to oppose their claim, Team Mockingjay has won by default."

"My deepest condolences go to Katniss Everdeen," cut in GLaDOS, "For her father's death. At her hands. The card is in the mail, I assure you."

The remaining warriors began to sink into the ground. All Katniss could do was look at her hand.

"Then… I really did it. I really-"

The darkness surrounded her, and once again she found herself in the common room, surrounded by the other warriors. Holly gave her a hug. Ryu was saying something about giving her lessons in "ansatsuken", whatever that was. She saw Harry emerge through the crowd.

"Listen, I-"

"Don't worry. I spoke with Gandalf," he said. "He explained what the Ring does. I'm surprised you were able to resist as well as you did."

"I, ah, thanks, I guess?"

She saw the Master of Games at the back of the room, speaking to a man she didn't recognize. He was a thin, muscular looking blond, with odd fashion sense and an apparent fondness of the color yellow. She could see why the two got along…

Holly had to shout to speak over the crowd.

"Have you seen Twilight?"

"No," replied Katniss.

"She probably had some nerds to go and talk to. I'm sure we'll see her again soon."

Katniss nodded for her friend, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something about Twilight was just… off. Other than her being a small, magical, talking horned horse. Something about the way she had made such fast friends with Holly… It didn't matter. Katniss was tired. She pushed her way through the crowd to find her room. She collapsed on her bed, and looked up at the coal drawings on her wall.

_I only hope I made the right choice._


	20. Epilogue- Some Nerds To Go Talk To

Twilight stared up at the vaulted ceiling, with its tangled mess of cables and coils. It was true, it really was bigger on the inside. Energy pulsed slowly along the walls, and that humming sound was starting to get very annoying. She was glad they told her that it would be a short meeting. In the dim lighting she made out a table where the others were seated, and she took her seat on a cushion placed at the far end. Around the table, the shadowed members of their order sat, whispering about astrophysics, quantum computers, and that their Tesla stocks were doing _very_ well. At the other end sat the boy, his huge bodyguard flanking him. He raised his glass, and tapped it lightly with a fork. The murmurs died down.

"Thank you," he said, setting the glass down, and re-arranging the silverware at proper right angles.

"Once again, you all have my gratitude for joining me here. I give special thanks to The Doctor, for lending us his vessel to use as a meeting place."

The man- or at least, he looked like a man- rose from his chair, bowing. Light applause followed.

The boy continued. "As you all know, I have arranged this meeting to clarify our current status, as well as to hear the report of our agent, Twilight Sparkle. First, I would like to state that we have no immediate plans for intervention. We are too small in number, and breaching the defenses of the Nexus of Carcosa will be no simple matter. Thankfully, we have our inside man, or shall I say, inside mare."

Twilight slid off of her cushion and placed her front hooves on the table.

"Initial analysis indicates that the majority of combatants are unaware of the true nature of the Combat, and are unlikely to respond to direct explanation. Outside of myself, the mage Gandalf is aware. However, his efforts to raise awareness are too small on their own to spread."

"Very well, then," said the boy. "That concludes our meeting. I shall send you a message when we will convene again. You are dismissed. And Miss Suzumiya, do tell Dexter to remember the meeting next time. I have a particular project that requires his technical expertise."

The figures rose from their seats around the table. They extended their arms forward, forming their thumbs and forefingers into triangles as they said the oath in unison.

_"Action in Thought. Vigil in Contemplation. Illuminati forever. Illuminati for always."_

As they spoke, the boy gave a nod to Twilight. While the rest finished their oath and disappeared back into their own dimensions, she remained. He walked over to Twilight's place, his bodyguard accompanying him.

"So you've been in contact with Holly?" he said, his orderly demeanor broken by a touch of hope.

"Yes," replied the unicorn. "She seems fine, but-"

"But?"

"Well, I detected trace amounts of a Ry'leh distortion emanating from her. She's definitely been in contact with…"

"Then it's as we feared," he said, fear replacing the hope in his voice. "You can go, Twilight."

"I'll try my best, Artemis," whispered Twilight.


End file.
